Review of Riot by Jamie Begley

Synopsis: Ice
As president of the Predators’ MC, my men and I are used to preying on the weak and those stupid enough to cross our paths. So why does a straitlaced teacher make me sit up and take notice when I see her for the first time?
The brothers all think she makes me weak, and believe me, weak in their eyes isn’t where I want to be. She wants me to prove she means more to me than the club, and when I fail, she thinks she can just walk away. She’s wrong. I’m a Predator, and nothing escapes me.

Grace
As a teacher, I’m supposed to want to educate those who want to learn, right? That’s what I believed until I was told I’d have to teach a class at the prison. I didn’t move to a town labeled as one of the safest places in America only to be faced with a bunch of Predators.
He expects me to trust him despite being the reason I’m trapped in the middle of a prison riot. His club means more to him than I ever will, and if I give him a chance, he will break the fragile peace I have managed to find. It’s not the first time I’ve had to escape a predator.

 

4.5 Stars!

 

Review: Ice and the Predators MC are definitely a different breed from The Last Riders, but I think they have to be tough. He and his men are the enforcers for Queen City's underworld leaders, and they take those jobs very seriously. In fact, a deal gone bad lands Ice and a few of his men in jail. It is there that he meets Grace, a computer teacher who is filling in for another teacher, and she is not very happy about it. Pretty much from the beginning, though, she notices Ice and can't help but be interested by the dangerous vibes that he gives off. I struggled with this one, briefly, as it seems a little farfetched for her straightlaced, repressed character, but I can see how she might have been drawn to the one that seemed commanding and least threatening, in terms of the creepy factor, when compared to some of the other men in the prison.

 

Something goes wrong, however, and Grace is trapped in the jail with Ice and several other prisoners, in a hostage type situation. Ice protects her, however, and when the charges against him are dropped and he is released from jail, he begins to visit her and pursue her. I was actually surprised that Ice went as slowly as he did with Grace, but he recognized the ways that she had been previously damaged and traumatized, and he seemed to want to protect those attributes in her. She slowly gives in to him, but that does not mean that the people in their lives are supportive of their relationship. In fact, there is one obstacle after another that tries to prevent them from being together. One of those obstacles is unfortunately Ice, himself, as he had previously cheated on Grace, in order to look strong for his men. I don't want to give too many spoilers, but I know that some people do not appreciate cheating in a book, so I had to throw that in there.

 

Ice has to prove to Grace that she is important to him - potentially even more important than his MC, which he has been resistant to do, as this same MC has saved his life many times. Ice has to learn that there is strength in loving the right person and Grace has to learn that there is strength in loving someone with so many people on his side. The only down side is that I do feel that Grace forgave Ice too quickly. I think she should have made him work a little harder for it. I think that having someone as tough and unmoving as Ice actually trying to get her forgiveness and love is sort of an anomaly to begin with, though, so I'll give him a little "grace".